


Runaway

by batterwitch_dumb_basses



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Other, eridan pictures fall out my pocket, i promise this isn't like my third eridan centric fic--, oh shit oh fuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-26
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2020-09-27 09:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20405437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batterwitch_dumb_basses/pseuds/batterwitch_dumb_basses
Summary: Eridan has had enough of his dad. The house he lives in stopped being a home a while ago, and he's looking for a safe haven.Cronus is not expecting his baby brother on his doorstep.





	1. Runaway (with you)

Your dad is unhappy again, the door downstairs slamming. You don’t know if he does that on purpose, but you turn the volume down on your headphones just in case there are footsteps coming up the stairs, and you need to pay attention quickly.

It used to be better when there was someone else here, someone to talk to, but your brother has long moved out, fucking off to God knows where. Sometimes he texts you, but those times are few and far between, and ever since it’s been just you and your dad, things have gotten worse and worse. You’ve been hiding upstairs since yesterday, snacking on your stash of hidden crisps and candy. At least you thought to take your medication upstairs with you.

You had a really bad fall out yesterday. You asked him what the fuck was wrong with him, which is really pushing it, for you (you tend to be the one apologising, falling over yourself because you can’t stand the silence anymore), and he turned around, angry, and told you that it was mostly _you_.

You hate him.

You can’t hate him.

The duality of it has you wanting to throw up, or stick the pins from your cork board right into your arms. You’re too much of a coward for self-inflicted acupuncture, so instead, you curl up, and try and think of somewhere else, anywhere else you could be. Somewhere without passive-aggression that spirals into fights, somewhere where you’re not constantly blaming yourself for a two-sided argument, and somewhere where you feel loved.

_Why not?_

It’s a little voice at the back of your mind.

_You could run away, you know. You could leave this all behind. Pack your backpack and **go**_ **.**

It’s a very seductive voice, and it’s not the first time it’s spoken. But you look around your room, at everything that’s important to you. You could. You could, couldn’t you? Your dad wouldn’t notice, right?

_He wouldn’t care._

He wouldn’t. But you have nowhere to go.

Unless you find him, right? You’d forgotten that possibility.

_This could work._


	2. The Right Time

Cronus’ day was off to as good of a start as could be expected. He wasn’t working today, he’d woken up a bit later than usual, and he had enough to make himself bacon and eggs. 11am was a lot later than his usual breakfast, and it was great. The radio was on so loudly, that when he sat down, he almost didn’t hear the knock on the door.

He sloped over, expecting the mailman to be standing there. He opened the door to find his baby brother stood there, looking exhausted, holding a suitcase and with what looked to be his school backpack hanging off one shoulder.

“Hey, Cro,” he said, nonchalantly.

“You’re in Florida,” Cronus said, accusingly. “You’re supposed to be in _Florida_, and – wait, how are you even here? I never gave Da my address.”

“Your friend gave me it. I said I was on my way but I’d not written down the address and I was panicking. She’s real trustin’, you know. You might want to fix that.” He tried to smile, but the bags under his eyes were too big.

“Eridan, you tell me right now that Da knows where you are,” Cronus said, slowly. “Tell me you ain’t crossed the country on your own.”

He stayed silent, looking up at Cronus, and before Cronus could speak, he reached out, gripping onto him.

“Don’t send me back. Please. Don’t send me back. I can’t stand it, Cro, please.”

“You at least left a note, right?” Cro asked, untangling Eridan’s hands from his shirt. “Tell me you left a note.”

“I did. I told him I wasn’t stayin’ anymore. I didn’t say where I was goin’, don’t worry. I can’t go back, Cro. An’, an’ I drained my account and froze it, too. I got my money in the pack.” He patted a little bump under his shirt.

Oh, god, Cronus thought. He travelled across America carrying cash. He travelled for god knows how long and just thought he’d get here safe.

Oh, god.

He stepped aside, grabbing Eridan’s case in one hand and Eridan’s arm in the other, dragging his baby brother in. Fifteen years old, and this was what he did? What the hell was up with him? Cronus wanted to scream. He was twenty-one, he had a job, he couldn’t take care of Eridan. Well, he could, but why did he have to clean up this mess? He had his own life, and it was enough of a mess after Da cut him off. It didn’t need to be more of a mess.

Once he’d shut the door, and let go of his brother, Eridan made another grab for him.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you—”

“I got a box room, but I don’t have a bed for you. You said you took out some money?”

Eridan nodded, stunned into silence.

“We’ll get your bed from that. You don’t need to pay rent, you’re fifteen, but you’re not dossin’ on the couch. How much even did you take out?”

“Five thousand.”

Cronus felt almost sick. The lecture ‘you shouldn’t fuckin’ travel across America with five thousand dollars on your person’ rose in his mind, but that could be for later.

“Right. Well, you said you did somethin’ to your account. We’ll get your bed tomorrow, okay? Couch for tonight, but go put this in the other room. We need to talk.”

Eridan took the suitcase from him and walked off. God, Cronus couldn’t believe it. Was he really considering this? It wasn’t like he had a choice, after all – he could hardly send Eridan back to Florida – but he was too young to be taking care of his brother by himself. God.

He sent a quick text to Porrim, asking her to come over (‘it’s urgent’) and looked up as Eridan came back into the room. The kid clearly needed to sleep and shower, too. Cronus sighed.

“Change of plans. You take my bed tonight, Eri, I’ll take the couch, but go shower or something, yeah?”

“Where’s the bathroom?” Eridan asked, looking worried. “I ain’t—”

“Smaller than you’re used to. It’s down the hall and on the left next to my room. There’s a shower, you can use my shit if you like, or yours if you brought it with you.”

Eridan trotted off again, and Cronus sunk his head into his hands. What was he going to do? His brother had travelled across America, somehow miraculously not been robbed of the fucking fortune he’d stuck into his fanny pack like a little old lady, and he’d turned up here. Who had he even asked for Cronus’ address? He hadn’t really known where he was going, and how he’d even found out what state Cronus was in, Cronus didn’t know. Although it was probably through social media.

He heard the sound of running water after five minutes, and sighed. Why did this have to happen on his day off? Although, oh God, imagine if Eridan had been waiting on the porch when he got back. Had Eridan not even thought to text?

He probably had thought Cronus would say no.

He’d have been right, too.

Cronus had left that house after things got too bad with his dad. He knew from personal experience that Da wasn’t the best with his children, and expected more from them than any human could reasonably give. He’d sent them to the nearest academy, and constantly told Cronus that he’d send him to boarding school if he couldn’t pull his grades up. Eridan was bright, but didn’t have the backbone to stand up for himself without causing a scene.

Both of them had been treated like disappointments. Neither of them knew how to handle their father’s temper, and while they’d had each other, Cronus had left, hoping Eridan would be okay because, at the time, he wouldn’t have wanted to be a nineteen-year-old toting around a thirteen-year-old brother. He’d wanted to break completely free of the Ampora grasp, and Eridan was unwittingly part of that.

Of course, he’d still kept in touch. Not as often as he might have done, but often enough to stave off any guilt. He knew it wasn’t _great _for Eridan.

He should have known it was bad. He _did _know it was bad.

But he didn’t know that it would make Eridan literally cross the country to get away from it.

Cronus had chosen Oregon just because he had some friends here who’d let him crash on their sofa while he sorted a place to live. The fact that it was as far away from his father as he could manage was just a bonus.

And now his past had turned up on his doorstep, wearing the sort of hopeful expression that could only ever have been born of desperation. God. How would this even work?

Porrim arrived wearing a pissed-off expression that faded the second she saw Eridan, sitting upright on the couch and looking at her with wide, goldfish eyes.

“Oh.”

“Who’s this? Is she…no, you can’t be Cronus’ girlfriend, you’re way too cool,” Eridan said, trying to look charming. Porrim snorted.

“Cute, kid. Real cute.” She looked over at Cronus. “I’m guessing this is your brother. He reminds me a lot of you when you first arrived.”

“It’s Oregon, not the moon. I didn’t know he was coming.” Cronus stood up. “Porrim, I need help. I need to know what he needs, what to do—”

“You won’t like my advice. What’s your name, kid?” She smiled at Eridan.

“I’m _fifteen_,” he protested, doe eyes still fixed on her. “I’m Eridan, Eridan Ampora.”

“The last name, I could have guessed.” Porrim smiled wider. “Be a dear and make us a cup of tea each, would you? Your brother wants me to chat with you both, which usually wouldn’t be my thing, but I’ll make an exception.”

Eridan shot off into the kitchen, and Porrim immediately turned to Cronus.

“You didn’t know he was coming, as in, your father sent him, or he ran away?”

She’d always been smart.

“He ran away,” Cronus confirmed. “He’s been having a bad time, but he didn’t…hasn’t told me how bad yet. But the little idiot withdrew five thousand dollars in cash somehow, and brought it with him.”

Porrim turned pale. “I see. The real world is going to hit him badly.”

“It ain’t his fault. He’s always been sheltered, I’m surprised he made it here alive. But he did, and now he’s…I gotta take him in, but I don’t know what to do.”

“Call your dad,” Porrim said, immediately Cronus threw his hands up.

“Okay, now I know you’re crazy. Didn’t I tell you how shit he is? The dude stuck us in private school and told us to sink or swim. My brother crossed America to escape him. Why would I let him know where Eridan is?”

“The police will easily track down a fifteen-year-old who’s naïve enough to carry that much cash on his person. If your father reports him missing, and he’s found here, I doubt Mr Ampora will raise a finger to save you from the deep shit that’ll land you in. So call him, tell him Eridan’s here, and if you play your cards right, you’ll be able to get legal guardianship. Your family seems like the type to have lawyers that can grease the right wheels.”

“Yeah, because Da will grant our wishes and make everything go our way. Why would he want to do that?”

Porrim rolled her eyes. “For such a dramatic little bitch, you do lack imagination sometimes, Cronus. Because you’ll threaten to go to the papers if he doesn’t make it happen. I’m sure he can sort a school transfer for Eridan as well if you threaten to put his behaviour in the spotlight. It would make quite the story, too. Your family is quite well-up, and your father seems to be the type to care about appearances.”

Damn. Cronus’ jaw was actually hanging open when Eridan brought the cups of tea through, setting Porrim’s carefully down on the little coffee table. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

“You think that’d work?” Cronus asked, slowly.

“Mm. I do. A man who has bullied his sons for the sake of keeping up appearances will do anything, as long as you use the right tools. The school transfer will be more pressing, of course, but the legal guardianship is equally as important. And it’d be useful for the family lawyer, which again, I suppose you to have, to sort out all the annoying paperwork.”

It would be useful, he guessed. But it all hung on one very important detail.

“So I have to ring Da and demand Eridan off him?”

“Oh, thanks for makin’ me sound like I’m cattle on the market,” Eridan said, disgruntled. Cronus ignored him, and Porrim nodded.

“It has to be you. You’re the one who needs guardianship. Be prepared for him to push back, though. He won’t like being backed into a corner, with his ego.” She sighed. “And Eridan, dear?”

He immediately looked up at her, and she patted his shoulder. “Remarkable though it is to have done what you have, do me a favour and don’t travel across America with such a large sum of money _ever again_. It was incredibly foolish, not to mention dangerous. If you were in my household, my mother would ground you until you were eighty.”

Eridan flushed. “Cro, you told!” he said, accusingly. Cronus sighed heavily.

“Eridan, you travelled across America wearin’ a small fortune on your stomach. Damn right, I told.”

Eridan scowled at his brother, but said nothing. Probably, that was for the best – Cronus didn’t want to have an argument with him in front of Porrim.

“I can help you shop tomorrow, though, if that would help. Eridan, if all goes well, you’ll be going to the same school as my sister, so I can help you pick out some school supplies, and we can use my car if your brother gives me some petrol money.”

That’d help, to be honest. Cronus wasn’t sure how he was going to get the theoretical bed back here once they bought it, but Porrim’s car would be better than getting Kankri to come to drive them there and back, given that his best friend drove like he was trying not to hit a little old lady who was invisibly crossing the road.

“I can give you some money!” Eridan said, immediately, and Porrim shakes her head.

“No, sweetheart. You’re fifteen. Your money shouldn’t be spent on petrol money, right, Cronus?”

“I mean, it’ll be partly spent on getting him new stuff anyway, but I can handle petrol money, yeah.” He sighed. “Anyway, I better ring Da first and let him know Eridan’s alive.”

It had started as _such _a good day.


	3. Toss the Feathers

It had been difficult to get through. The receptionist he’d named had quit, and the new one clearly thought he was some sort of scammer, as she’d not even _known_ that her employer had more than one son. Luckily, she’d trusted that he could name the old receptionist, and had gone to ask his father if it was fine to put him through, at which point he’d ended up speaking directly to Da, who was furious. Furious, of course, that Eridan hadn’t thought about how his ‘little jaunt’ would look to the high society the Ampora family belonged to.

“He don’t want to come back,” Cronus said, keeping his voice even. “I’m sure you can sort a school transfer, but if you don’t, the papers’ll love the story of the plucky Ampora heir who travelled coast to coast to get away from you.”

“Blackmail isn’t something you were ever skilled at, Cronus. I just needed to check that he was alive. I’ll sort the school transfer until he sees sense and comes home.” His father’s voice was as cold as ever.

“Good. You do that. And while you’re at it, if you could see to it that the lawyer sorts out my being his legal guardian, it’d make things a bit fuckin’ easier on this end.”

His da didn’t reply for a minute, before starting to speak softly.

“You both come home for Christmas. That’s a deal, you hear me? You’re his legal guardian, under that proviso.”

Oh, shit. He wanted to back out. Family Christmas? Yeah, right.

“He don’t want to come back, Da. I mean it about the papers. We could call you on Christmas, if you like, but if you don’t let this happen, I’ll send this story to every one of them. I’m sure there are people who’d happily read all about the rich man who sent both his sons running—”

“You’re my sons. I’m your father. You should know better than to act up at this age, but I can’t say I’m surprised.” His father’s venomous tone dripped down the phone line. “That you’d stoop so low as to threaten me with the paparazzi, I am surprised by, but it’s low-class enough that I can believe it of you. Christmas is a time for family, Cronus.”

“I mean it. He ain’t comin’ back unless he wants to.” Cronus would have found it hard to stick up for himself, but the idea of Eridan spending _Christmas_ in a lonely house too big for anyone to live in, trotted out to parties and such, made him more determined to stick to his guns. “We can ring you, maybe even Skype, and you can tell everyone that you transferred him somewhere fancy. I don’t care. But he’s not going back.”

There was more swearing, and a couple of veiled threats, but eventually, they worked it out. Cronus and Eridan would call their father on Christmas for one hour exactly, and not a minute less. Their father would sort out the transfer to the public school near Cronus, and naming Cronus as Eridan’s legal guardian, but Cronus would have to drive down at the beginning of December to pick up the presents for Eridan, to ensure they got there safely. During that time, Eridan was to stay at a clean and suitable house.

The implication was, of course, that Dermot Ampora didn’t think any of Cronus’ friends would have clean or suitable houses. Cronus let it slide – it wasn’t the important thing here. He managed to side step the idea of a weekly call for Eridan, and after some time, Dermot ended the call, leaving Cronus wanting to hit something.

Porrim had stayed in the living room with Eridan, who was telling her all sorts of things – how he had written a campaign for D and D, how terrifying it had been travelling alone like that, and how he wanted to find a local swimming pool.

“I brought my trunks and goggles just in case, but do you have one?” he asked. Porrim looked thoughtful.

“I certainly think so, but it’s a way across town, and your brother works quite a bit, so you might need to work out how to get there on your own.”

“Eri’s not so good at that, Por’.” Cronus sat down, and Eridan looked across, looking excited and yet somehow nervous.

“W-w-what did he say?” he stuttered, and Porrim looked across as well.

“He’s goin’ to transfer you to the local school, and I’m also becomin’ your legal guardian. Mr Diamond’s gonna sort it all out so we don’t have to worry much, but we gotta Skype Da on Christmas, and I gotta drive across to Florida at the beginning of December to get your presents.”

Eridan looked flabbergasted, and looked between Cronus and Porrim.

“That’s it?” he asked, in a very tiny voice.

“It took some doin’, Eri. He wanted you to come home, but I had a little discussion with him, alright?” Cronus rubbed at his head. “Kid, please tell me that’s what you wanted—”

The weight of Eridan thudding into him almost knocked the breath out of his lungs, as Eridan began openly sobbing, clinging to his brother. Cronus sighed, patting Eridan awkwardly on the back, and trying not to look at Porrim.

They ended up going to the local pancake place for lunch, with Porrim watching in amusement at the way Eridan looked at his dish of stacked pancakes.

“Eat up, it’s good for ya.” Cronus began digging into his.

“Is this lunch?” Eridan asked, suspiciously. Cronus nodded.

“So, Eridan,” Porrim said, “what was your old school like?”

“Awful,” the brothers said, in unison.

“Full ‘a rich snobs who wanted to ride coattails and keep everything how it is,” Eridan added on. “It’s a mixed private school, but I dunno, I never really had proper friends, ‘cept Fef. She’s lovely, Fef, but I kinda…we don’t talk much, anymore. I think I was too moody and drove her off.”

“How the hell she was ever Meenah’s little sister, we’ll never know.” Cronus cut a bit of pancake off, chewing it. “Meenah was a nightmare.”

“Oh, Mee weren’t so bad to me, she just hated _your _guts.” Eridan looked at his plate, and slowly cut off a piece of pancake. “An’ you’re sure, are you, that pancakes are lunch?”

“Quit pickin’ an’ eat.” Cronus flicked his brother’s ear, before turning back to Porrim. “Da kinda has a sink or swim mentality, when it comes to school. You can’t be bullied, because that means you don’t cut it. You can’t be middle of the class, you gotta be top, an’ you’re a disappointment if you’re not winnin’ in everythin’. An’ so there you are, in a class full of kids whose parents all expect the same thing from them, you hear me? You’re all fightin’, but really, private school’s just a crab bucket.”

Eridan shook his head. “It’s way worse if you get to the top. Then everyone hates ya, just for bein’ what they’re meant to be.” He stuffed the little piece of pancake in his mouth, chewing for a moment. “I’m real good at History an’ English, an’ everyone who isn’t hates me. Da don’t even feel proud, he just asks how I can be good at that but be crap at Maths. An’ everyone leaves me out of everythin’, but they suck anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah. Eat your pancakes, c’mon.” Cronus shoved the plate a little closer. “Or I’ll eat them.”

Eridan began eating, quickly. Porrim turned to Cronus.

“Any star subjects for you?”

“I was on the swim team, but that’s about it.” Cronus shrugged. “Managed to get passing grades, which was a huge achievement, but the things I like, they don’t really get me high grades. Private school’s meant to turn out perfect little high-achievers, too, and the pool’s the only place I wasn’t lazy when I was about Eri’s age.” He shook his head. “Man, though, that takes me back. They still have that statue ritual?”

Eridan nodded, his mouth full of pancake.

“Statue?” Porrim asked, bemused.

“Yeah, our school had this giant statue of Poseidon or somethin’ like that, but every year, the graduatin’ class defaces it. My year, we made it look like Aquaman an’, oh man, this guy in my class found like, a dil—” He looked over at Eridan. “A rubber…thingy…an’ stuck it, you know…” Cronus trailed off, acutely aware that his little brother was sat next to him. “Anyway, the Headmaster was absolutely furious, an’ I got into hot water, ‘cause I had spray paint on my hands. Da was hoppin’ for a week.”

Eridan scowled up at him. “I’m not a baby, Cro, I know what you’re talkin’ about. Anyway, that still gets talked about. I know that Kelling stuck a dildo on the statue—”

Cronus slapped his hand over Eridan’s mouth, just as Porrim went into peals of laughter, and a waitress scurried past with a flushed face.

“Eridan Ampora, you might know what I’m sayin’, but that don’t mean you repeat it in the middle of a diner!” Cronus hissed, face bright red as Porrim struggled to regain her composure. “Ack!”

He took his hand away from Eridan’s mouth, wiping it with disgust on his shirt. “You licked me, you brat!”

“You put your hand over my mouth,” Eridan said, petulantly, cutting up more of his pancakes. “An’ besides, you were the one that started talkin’ about the statue in the _first _place—”

Cronus groaned, while Porrim managed to contain her laughter. Yep, this was going to be an education for everyone.


	4. Heaven Knows

Cro’s bed is very small, compared with what you’re used to.

At home, you have a big four poster, with curtains. When Fef came over, the two of you would sit on the bed, with plenty of room between you, talking about anything and everything. Sometimes, you’d sit apart, opposite ends of the bed. Other times, you’d squish up next to each other to watch movies.

You feel a small pang in your heart. You’d love to message Fef, but you don’t know what to say without telling her everything. She was always great at opening up, but you never knew where to begin telling her everything that was actually going on. You’re great at complaining about the things that didn’t matter, but you actually had this big argument recently.

What if the last words you ever spoke to her were in an argument? You bring up the quilt and hide under it, but immediately push it away, because it smells like cigarettes. Sure enough, when you look around, there’s an ashtray on the little bedside cabinet.

Ugh. Your brother never changes. You keep telling him that smoking in bed is a real fire hazard, but he never listened. However, in its own way, the smell of cigarettes is kind of comforting. It reminds you of the times when you used to creep into his room after he’d had an argument with Da.

He’d always tell you to go away, but he never made you. He used to let you get into the bed while he sat up, tuning his guitar. He always tunes his guitar when he’s mad at something.

“The trick is not to argue with a brick wall,” you remember him saying once. “An’ if you’re mad, find a way to get it outta your system. Only one who’s going to feel it is you.”

“Not if I hit them,” you’d said. He’d sighed.

“Danny, I love ya, but if you think you can throw a punch that’s gonna do more than peck someone on the cheek like a, like a grandma, you’re wrong. ‘Sides, you can’t punch everything.”

He’d ruffled your hair, which you’d hated. You’d missed it when he’d left.

You missed him. You’re glad to be here, even if it means that you’re staying in Cronus’ crappy bed with the crappy smell of cigarettes. You’re not listening out for heavy footsteps and slamming doors – instead, you can hear low voices as Porrim and Cronus talk.

Porrim is really cool. No one you know has tattoos like hers – she reminds you of the burlesque Poison Ivy figure that you saw in the shop where you buy your Dungeons and Dragons stuff. You don’t know anyone like her. You wonder how _Cronus _does, seeing as she is, as you said, way cooler than your big brother.

You wonder what her sister is like. Probably extremely cool, too. But thinking about Porrim’s sister makes you feel all jittery, because you’re going to have to start going to a new school. A _public _school, which although you pretend you’re fine with, you’re not. Public schools are a hazy concept in your mind. People don’t wear uniform, which means you’re judged on your clothing, and you know that Miller in your class has a cousin in public school. From Miller’s stories, you can only assume it’s some kind of unorganised hell pit. Rationally, it shouldn’t be, but it doesn’t mean you’re not anxious. You can’t throw a punch, and you don’t think that fencing is a common thing in public schools.

Besides, if they weren’t worse than private schools, why would anyone pay for a private school? Otherwise, there’d be no point, right?

You roll onto your stomach. Today has been so much fun, but the long trip has you so tired out that you actually can’t sleep. You were on a crowded coach for most of it, with people you didn’t know and definitely didn’t trust. You don’t trust public transport very much, either.

An older lady tried to ask you where you were going, and you pretended not to understand her. She then started patting your hand and speaking loudly and slowly in an effort to translate, and kept giving you candy. You’re pretty sure it might have had drugs in it. That’s why people handed out candy, anyway. She was sat next to you for most of the journey, too, so you couldn’t read your book, otherwise she’d catch on that you did indeed speak English. It was _very _stressful.

Not as stressful as home, of course. And that’s what you have to remember, that you don’t have another option. You know that you’re a well-adjusted young adult, but in the eyes of the law, you’re a kid. Just because you’re smarter, it doesn’t mean they’d let you escape and live alone. If you hadn’t come here, you’d probably have ended up homeless.

If you could just be homeschooled, that would probably be better for everyone. People aren’t your strong suit, you know that much. Your brother? People are his bread and butter; he could charm anyone he wanted to, except Da. He never bothered trying, either. But you knew that you and Cronus have your differences. You got the _book _smarts, but he can order ice cream without sounding colder than the sweet stuff in the freezer, and probably get a free scoop as well. You, on the other hand, get so nervous that half the time you come off as snobby. Although, sometimes, you are being a little uptight.

Fef’s in the same league as Cronus, in her own way. She’s got this way of treating everyone like they want to be treated, deep down. She listens to anyone and everyone, and if you ever lose her while you’re out, you can bet she’s helping a kid find his mom, or listening to an old lady talk about what things were like back in her day. And it’s not just kindness out of a sense of duty, or because it’s right. She _genuinely _cares.

It used to make you a bit surly to see Fef like that. After Cro left, it reminded you too much of him, and you asked her why the hell she cared about people like that. You had a lot of arguments after he left, and things weren’t really ever the same. You wish you could fix it, but you don’t know where to start.

This, you decide, is getting you nowhere, so you get up and wander into the living room.

“-so then Kanny decided to try telling me that the way the author used religion as a theme made the book bad, and I nearly chucked it at his head. The Handmaid’s Tale might be a dystopia, but being in the same literature class as him at that age was the most dystopian thing I’ve ever—” Porrim stops, laughing. “Cronus, it’s such a pity you weren’t here to experience him in high school.”

He doesn’t answer her, frowning at you.

“Danny, what’s up?” he asks, cautiously. Not gently, though. You cross to sit next to him.

“I can’t sleep,” you say, truthfully. He sighs, and wraps an arm around you awkwardly.

“Kiddo, I ain’t exactly got Ovaltine here. Why can’t you sleep?”

“I don’t know,” you grumble. Porrim raises an eyebrow, and you think she knows you’re lying, but you keep your lip buttoned. Cronus sighs.

“Wanna see what’s on the box?” He reaches to the coffee table, and grabs the remote. Porrim clears her throat.

“Don’t look for any of your awful old movies, please. You’ve got as much taste there as you do in clothes.”

“Yeah, yeah. I _was _gonna let you choose, seein’ as how you’re the guest, but guess who just lost that privilege?” He rolls his eyes, but hands the remote over anyway. You guess that they must be good friends, and a little part of you is jealous that she’s been friends with your brother when you’ve not been able to see him.

She starts flicking through the channels, and tuts.

“Nope. Nope. Oh, here we go.” She clicks a button, and something starts playing. You’re not really paying attention to it, though, because your eyelids are getting a bit heavy.

“Really? _The Parent Trap?”_

“Perfectly terrible film. Just the thing, in my opinion.” You think she indicates her head at you, but you try to pay attention to the film, just while the girls are matching up their photographs. It's all getting way too predictable. These sorts of films are, and your eyelids are growing heavier and heavier.

Five minutes in, you’re gone.


	5. The Minstrel Boy

"So." Cronus looked around at all the beds in front of him, and then back at the salesman. "We're lookin' for a single bed, mattress included. Think you can help?"

The salesman nodded, looking between Cronus, Porrim, and then back to Eridan, clearly trying to figure something out. Whatever that was, he gave up, and starting walking with Eridan over to the range of mattresses.

"So, school supplies," Porrim said. "You're going to need a desk in that room of yours."

"Yeah, I know. Desk. Stuff. Whatever he needs." Cronus ran a hand through his hair. He'd not been able to sleep much last night, and that had nothing to do with sleeping on the couch. Porrim had driven off, but swung by to pick them up early in the morning.

"Well, at least he doesn't need a uniform, but you might need to get him some new clothes. Whatever he packed in that suitcase probably isn't enough for you to wash and dry everything all the time." Porrim sighed. "And probably won't be what he's used to, either."

"Better than the alternative, Porrim. What did you have in mind?"

She shrugged. "Something along the lines of the stationery shop uptown. Once we sort the delivery for the bed, we can go let him have a little fun there, and then shoes, clothes...Well, between Kanaya and Karkat, I've always helped my mother out before term starts." She looked over at Eridan. "You're lucky to have a good budget to do it on. Silas used to just give us all he could and then get back to what he was doing. Mom can make anything look good with a needle and thread, but...it's not always been easy."

Cronus sighed. "I know. It's tough, but..."

"No, in a way, for you, it's tougher. Mom knew what she was doing. But you've not got a clue." Porrim patted his shoulder, a little awkwardly. "You do realise what you're agreeing to, right?"

"I..." The confusion must have shown in his eyes, and Porrim sighed.

"You're becoming his parent. Legal guardian. You're going to have to do everything, Cronus. Keep paying the bills, sorting the rent, making sure it's all sorted, and you can't take a break from it. You can't go into this blind, okay?"

Cronus looked over at Eridan, currently sitting gingerly on a mattress and talking to the salesman. There was only one answer.

"Okay."

Porrim was an asset, that day.

She knew all the right stores, where the good clothing was, and was great at gently encouraging Eridan into picking out things that both suited him and didn't break bank. She might have only _helped_ her mother, but if that was so, she'd picked up a damn sight more than he'd thought. If it had just been him and Eridan, he wouldn't have known where to start. 

Having the car was a good bonus too, especially when they had to arrange the flat pack desk into the back of it. They had to go for a small one, in the end, and Cronus was thankful that he already had a small bookcase in the spare room. If they'd had to get one of those, Eridan wouldn't have fitted in the car along with all his purchases. 

It was also weird watching his baby brother pick out clothes.  He wasn't exactly a penny-pincher, and he would dart around the stores to anything that caught his eye. And what caught his eye was usually fancy, purple, or some mixture of both. Porrim winced a couple of times, but sometimes she'd nod in approval, bringing other things together.

"I didn't think shoppin' like this would be so fun," he said, at one point. "These ain't bad."

"A glowing review, then?" Porrim asked, her eyebrows raised. 

Coming from him, though, it was. The real turning point, however, was when he spotted the comic book shop, and turned to look at Cronus with the biggest fucking puppy eyes. Eridan could have rivalled actual puppies, given the half the chance.

"Can..."

"Sure." Cronus held a finger up. "You've got to be sensible, though. Okay?"

"Yeah, that's not happening." Porrim folded her arms as Eridan shot ahead. "Have you seen a kid in a candy store before?"

"I--" He shook his head. "You know what, Por? I'm too tired to argue."

"This isn't tired." Porrim smiled at him, almost kindly. "Wait until he tells you he's got detention and you have to go in and sort it out."

"Eridan doesn't  _get _ detention, as a rule." He followed her into the comic book store. 

"All kids his age get detention. Even good kids." Porrim looked around. "Been a while since I was in here." 

Eridan was over at the wall of comics, picking out a few at a time, carefully. A couple of other people were milling around the store, but it was mostly empty. Cronus walked over to join his brother. 

"What's Runaways?" he asked, looking down at the issues in Eridan's hands. Eridan turned a little pink.

  
"It's a team of kids, and their parents are all villains. It's really good." 

So, nothing to unpack  _there_ . Cronus ruffled his brother's hair, and didn't say anything for a minute, before catching sight of something.

"No way!" He picked it up. "Fuck, is this real? I remember watching this when we were way younger. Do you remember?" 

Eridan looked over at him and blinked. 

"The Dark Crystal? Didn't they put a new series on Netflix?" 

"Oh, shit! Seriously?" Cronus raised his eyebrows. "Well, we're watching that. Porrim's got an account, and so does Kankri, so we just kinda share sometimes." 

"I don't remember much except those vulture things," Eridan confesses. "Weren't they kinda weird, and creepy?" 

"Oh, yeah. Skeksis. It was this whole thing, and Da got mad at me for letting you watch it with me, but you kept saying you weren't scared." Cronus remembered the nights where Eridan had knocked on his door after a nightmare for a week afterward, until they'd died down. It had been a pain getting him back to his own room before Da checked up on him, but somehow they'd managed it. 

"Well, it does look kinda cool." Eridan peered at the comic books. "Are you going to buy those?"

"I mean...Maybe the first issue." He grinned. "Shit, I didn't realise it was a new thing."

"So, who's Kankri?" 

Fuck. Eridan always did ask the awkward questions.

It wasn't really that hard to answer, but he hesitated, just for a minute, and he could see Eridan narrowing his eyes.

"Mutual friend of me and Porrim," he said, quickly, before Eridan could jump to any big conclusions. "We hang out sometimes, and he...you'll like him, I think." He hoped so, anyway. Not everyone liked Kankri. 

"Is he nice?" Eridan asked, starting to make his way to a section completely covered in Stranger Things merchandise. Cronus rubbed the back of his head. 

"I think so. He can be a bit talkative, and he always wants to do what's right. He's got a real good heart."

"And a real big mouth," Porrim chipped in. Cronus hadn't realised she was close enough to hear them talking. 

"A big mouth?" Eridan asked, bemused. He looked between the two of them. "He sounds..." 

"Let's go with interesting." Porrim patted Eridan's shoulder. "He's a good person, though. You don't need to worry about anything, and he'll be very polite to you. He's just a bit of a Nancy Wheeler."

Understanding dawned in Eridan's eyes, and Cronus looked between the two of them, confused as all hell, but decided to let it be. If Porrim had found a way to explain Kankri to Eridan, he wasn't going to get between this and that.  Instead, he headed over to the counter with the comic book he'd picked up. 

"So, is Cronus trying to be Steve or  Jonathan?" he heard Eridan ask. Porrim snorted. 

"You don't miss a trick, do you? I don't think even Cronus knows that."


	6. Along With The Girls

Back home in the box room, you sit on the floor, with all of your new purchases surrounding you. Your new bed is coming the day after tomorrow, so the desk is still flat packed and leaning against a wall. You can see already that things in this room might be a bit of a tight squeeze. No giant wardrobe or anything like that. No wardrobe at all, actually.

However, Cronus is currently digging through Amazon for an under-the-bed clothes storage, and you have the bookshelf that was already in here. Cro said you could have it, seeing as he wasn't really using it for anything (which is true, it was dusty as all hell.) You've already stacked your D and D manuals on it, along with the few books you brought with you. Not that you've ever actually managed to get through a campaign properly. You don't have the people to play it with. Feferi and you would make characters from time to time, and you know the rules inside and out, but the couple of times you've joined a campaign, it never really lasted.

Maybe you'll be able to find somewhere around here that's running a campaign. You're sure that there has to be something. It's not like in a town this big, you'd be the only one playing Dungeons and Dragons, especially not if the comic book store has a section devoted to it. Still, you're nervous.

You take the comic books that you bought and start putting them on the shelf as you try not to think about what school is going to be like. It's going to be a couple of weeks, at least, but Porrim invited you over to her house tomorrow so that Cronus can go to work and you can meet Kanaya, her sister. You're nervous about that, but she's assured you it's fine.

"Kanaya is very gentle, Eridan, and I have a feeling that you'll like her. Besides, she's at school for most of tomorrow, so you can meet my mother, too."

You're not stupid, though. You're fully aware that Porrim is babysitting you, and it does grate a bit, however much you like her. You're fifteen and fully capable of looking after yourself, but Cronus wouldn't hear of it. His take on the whole thing was that you might be glad of the company. Your take is that you're used to empty houses.

But you don't want to argue with Cronus, so you dropped it, even though you didn't want to. Arguing isn't going to solve anything, after all.

The next morning, you wake up to Cronus whistling in the kitchen. You're still not used to the new surroundings, and definitely not used to being in a house so small you can hear the kitchen from the master bedroom, but you stumble out of bed, rubbing your eyes, and Cronus turns around, cereal box in hand.

"Morning, champ. Ready for the day?"

"What time is it?" you ask him, suspiciously.

  
"Uh, about seven-ish. You don't have to have breakfast just yet, though. You can grab some at Porrim's. She's going to be here at eight or something, 'cause I have to be at work for the 9am shift."

"It's _seven_ ? And you're _whistling_?"

Sometimes, you cannot believe that you and Cronus are related. You do, however, start shuffling off to the box room to start getting dressed, giving him a narrow-eyed look as you go. He keeps whistling, and you're sure he's doing it a little louder this time.

You pull on one of the new tops you bought yesterday, along with a pair of your good jeans, and pack your bag. Your 2DS, charger, phone, couple of comic books, and Xanathar's Guide to the Unexplained all go in there, plus your dice. You never know when you're going to need your dice, even if you probably are going to play Pokemon the whole time you're there.

Okay. You just want to take your dice with you because they're shiny.

Cronus is finishing up his cereal when you step back into the living room, sat on the sofa with a bag next to him.

"All packed?" he asks, briskly. You give him a weird look. You're not yet used to this kind of Cronus, so you sit down and just nod without saying a word. Cronus pauses, but goes back to eating his cereal.

The two of you sit in somewhat awkward silence until there's a knock on the door, and you try not to feel miffed at the relieved expression on Cronus' face as he jumps up and opens the door.

"Por'!" He looks at you expectantly and so does Porrim, and you scowl at your brother just slightly.

"Eridan, good morning." Porrim looks at you with a somewhat warm smile. "Kanaya is in the car, by the way. I thought we'd drop her off on the way there."

Oh, fuck. You pull your backpack on, tightly gripping the straps. You're not sure what to say. Maybe you should smile? You don't know.

"Yeah, that'll be fine. She's in the car anyway, right?"

"Exactly." Porrim steps aside. "Eridan, do you need anything before we leave? Your brother has to be at work soon, and I've been told by my mother to have you at the house as soon as possible. She's sure that Cronus doesn't know how to feed you, do be warned."

"I fed him yesterday!" Cronus protests.

  
"We went out to eat. That doesn't necessarily count as _you _feeding him."

"Whatever." Cronus reaches across, and to your surprise, pulls you into a rough hug. "Have a good day, Danny."

The old nickname makes your eyes sting a little and you hug him back just as tightly. You feel like you're being dropped off at school for the first time all over as you follow Porrim to her car, while Cronus waves from the door.

Porrim opens one of the back doors for you to get in, and there's a perfectly poised, if slightly nervous looking girl sat on the other side. Her hair is cropped short, and she looks past you to Porrim as you get in.

"Will we still be on time?" she asks, anxiously. You notice her words are much more clipped than Porrim's. "I don't wish to be late to meet with everyone."

"Eridan and Cronus were just saying goodbye, Kanaya." Porrim gets into the driver's seat, looking back at the two of you. "I'm sure we'll still get there in time for you to meet up with your friends before homeroom, anyway."

Kanaya nods to herself, and then turns to you. Her makeup is as perfect as her composure, and you are dazzled for a minute as she offers a thin hand for you to shake.

"I'm Kanaya Maryam, Porrim's sister. She probably told you as much already."

"I'm Eridan Ampora, but...uh, you probably knew that already." You almost stutter the 'w', but you fight to keep it under control, and it just comes off as a nervous pause. You hope. Your dad was adamant that you never let the speech therapist's hard work go to waste.

"Yes, Porrim told me about you last night. Did you really travel all the way across America by yourself?" She shivers. "It sounds nerve-wracking."

"It _was_," you say, with feeling. "I couldn't think of anythin' else to do, though."

She looks at you with a little sympathy. "Well, I hope you'll like school when you come. I can introduce you to our friendship group, if you like. They're a little rough, sometimes, but everyone's good at heart, really. They all mean well."

It strikes you as an odd thing to say, but Porrim stifles some laughter.

"What she means, Eridan, is Karkat's bark is worse than his bite. She and Karkat are pretty close, because of our families. Our mother practically raised his father."

"Really?"

"Yes, and Porrim is practically raising Kankri even though he's an adult." Kanaya looks completely innocent as she says this, but from the look Porrim gives her, you can tell that it was probably a snarky comment. You're more focused on the mention of Kankri. It would seem that your brother's friend is pretty entrenched in your social circle, and if you're any judge, even if Porrim's been telling you he's a friend of Cronus', they're probably pretty close too if Kanaya is talking about it.

You stay silent, though, and Kanaya clears her throat after a moment.

"So, Eridan..." She pauses. "What sort of things do you like?"

"Readin', tabletop games..." You bite your lip. "I like watchin' fantasy, too. I mean, Pokemon, too, but everyone likes Pokemon."

She nods thoughtfully. "I see."

  
"Kanaya likes to sew," Porrim chips in, and you almost see the composure Kanaya has slip.

"Ah, that's true, but it's a hobby more than anything else." She's now looking down at her lap, but you're interested.

  
"What sorta stuff do you make?"

"Well, sometimes I help out the drama club when they put on productions, and I like to help my friends who are into LARP. I also adjust and sort my own clothes. Mother taught me to sew, of course, she's been mending and sorting our clothes since we were old enough to damage them. She's much better at it than I am."

"She doesn't do all the things you do, though." Porrim takes a left down a busy street.

Again, you see the composure slip as Kanaya smiles. Her smile is not graceful, as you would have thought, but tiny and shy, and you decide then and there that you like her.

"I can't sew on even a button," you say, encouragingly, "so you seem pretty cool to me."

"You can't sew on a button?" She seems shocked. "What do you do if one comes off?"

"Well, um..." You feel like this has backfired, as you don't exactly want to tell her the truth. That if a button came off, your housekeeper or a maid would usually fix it for you. You never even got scolded for it, which always felt rather empty. You squirm in your seat.

"Kanaya, don't press the poor boy." Porrim seems amused. "You can teach him to sew on a button some time, right?"

"Yes, of course. If you own things, you should always be able to take care of them. That's what my mother says." She seems to sit up a little straighter, and you swear Porrim's looking more and more amused by the second. You're not quite sure what to say to that.

  
Eventually she begins telling you on what she's working on at the moment. Apparently she's been making some sort of dashing coat for her friend, who's really big into pirates, and it's been a lot of hard work. She trails off sometimes, but you notice that whenever she does, Porrim encourages her to keep going. You yourself like the sound of the coat - from what she says, it's right out of Peter Pan. You're almost sorry when you see you've drawn up to the school, and Kanaya starts getting out.

  
"Have a good day, sis," Porrim says, blowing her a kiss. "And don't let anyone give you crap."

"Have a good day as well," Kanaya says, politely, and then turns to you. "I hope you have a good day at our house too, Eridan."

"Thanks, Kan. Have a good day today." You wave as she heads off towards a group of people who are already waving at her. Those must be her friends. You watch as a lanky girl with long hair and glasses suddenly runs over to throw an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tight, and a short, scowling boy with hair that seems to be sticking up everywhere marches over to them too.

You can't help but look at them. You suddenly feel sick with missing Fef.

"So Eridan, you ready for breakfast?" Porrim asks. You must have taken a little to long to nod, because she shoots you a look of concern, but doesn't say anything. Instead, she starts the car and drives you away.

You knew you'd miss Fef. You guess you didn't exactly realise how much.


	7. Closer

Cronus knew that if his dad ever saw his workplace he would be wearing that classic Dermot Ampora sneer, the one that curled his lip and reduced most people to feeling like they were a slug on the bottom of his shoe. He could almost hear the type of thing his father would say. Something like, _this is the best you could do?_

But Cronus? He loved this place.

He’d tried getting a job he’d actually enjoy, and eventually wound up here, which was a little café that doubled as a bookstore. The old lady that ran it, Nanna Egbert, was great at baking, and she’d taken a good long look at Cronus’ qualifications and given him a sharp look. He’d promised her that he wouldn’t let her down, and she’d eventually called him back.

“I don’t see anything on here about being able to make a coffee, young man, but I have a feeling that you’ll fit in very nicely here.” She laughed a little. “You’ll be picking up a number of shifts, but my grandson will be here after school to help you out, and we have some other part-timers who can show you the ropes.”

He’d been so grateful. So grateful. He’d been cut up, unhappy, and wanting to kick the entire world if he could, but that one moment of kindness had sparked a little something within him. In a time where he’d set himself up with a pretty tiny house and had no one to turn to, Nanna Egbert had given him a space to feel at home even before his house felt like it was his.

And now, things were feeling dicey again. He sloped in, Nanna herself waiting behind the counter.

“Oh! Cronus, you’re a little off the clock.” She waited, and he sighed.

“A lot happened while I was gone.” He went through to the back room to drop off his backpack and jacket, picking up his apron and trying to get into his customer service headspace. “Anything happen here?”

“Dear, it’s early. The regulars aren’t going to be in for a while, why don’t you come join me for something to eat and tell me why you’ve got a face like a wet Wednesday?” Nanna took one of the cinnamon rolls out of the display, placidly cutting it in two and putting each half on a plate. “You can get the kettle going, there’s a dear.”

He flicked the switch on his way past and came to lean on the counter, right next to her. “Kankri not in yet?”

“Oh, he’s going to be late. Something about a church emergency. Probably the Harley dog again, you know how it hates being left outside. Hoo hoo!” She laughed. “Bec, I think it’s called. Now Jade’s in school, and Jake’s off doing whatever he wants as usual, it’s up to Mr Harley to keep it occupied.”

Cronus winced. He knew Mr Harley well, as he was a regular at the café. Nanna and he got along very well. Still, Bec wasn’t a small dog, and Mr Harley might be doing well for his age, but he doubted that he had the same amount of control over the dog that Jade did.

“However.” Nanna gave him a stern look. “You still haven’t told me what’s going on with you.”

“My, uh, my little brother showed up out of the blue. He’s gonna be living with me for, uh, a while. For a long while.”

Nanna’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, before she carefully schooled her face back into its usual understanding expression.

“I see. He wants you to take care of him?”

“I don’t think he really has any other option. Don’t think I do, either. We grew up in the same house.” Cronus took a bite of his half of the cinnamon roll. “But…he didn’t call or anything. Just showed up on my doorstep. Got my address off someone, apparently, God knows who.” The words kept coming as he took bites. “I’ve got no idea what I’m doing, but I’m trying to find out, because he’s only fifteen. Fifteen! He’s a baby. Travelled all the way across to come live with me on a hope and a prayer, what am I supposed to say? Of course, I’m not going to say no. And then I had to call Da, let him know Eridan’s alright, and the bast—the...” He stopped. You couldn’t really swear in front of Nanna. Something intrinsic in you forbade it.

“He wasn’t pleasant, I gather.” Nanna sighed. “Good grief.”

“Nah, he wasn’t. He tried to get me to send him back, like that was gonna help anythin’. Danny came to me, I’m not goin’ to send him back to that hellhole. He was mad, though. Cold as anythin’.”

“Snowman’s armpit in December?” she asked, innocently. Cronus almost smiled.

“You got it. He don’t like it when he can’t have his own way.”

“Sounds like someone else I know.” She winked. “You’ve just got the charm to get away with it.”

“Well, I might have _charm_, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with Danny for the time bein’. Porrim’s helping me out but it’s touch and go, and I know that he’s wanting me to be there while we sort out school for him, but I can’t do that.”

“No. You can’t.” She looked a little sad. “Of course, you could always bring him to the café with you, but you’d still be busy even then.”

“It’s real life, Nanna. It’s been waiting to hit him for years. I can’t just drop everything for him.” Cronus groaned. “And I feel bad that I can’t.”

“So, he’s going to be going to school here?” Nanna picked up her own half of cinnamon roll, delicately nibbling it.

“Yeah, there’s a lot of paperwork involved, but our guy back home is on it. He’s pretty good at sorting stuff out quickly. Shouldn’t take too long.”

“Fifteen…he’ll be in my John’s year, then?” She brightened. She absolutely loves her grandson, who came in here all the time after school. He actually liked the kid too, given that he was pretty nice for a fifteen-year-old. He cleared his throat.

“And Kanaya’s. You know, Porrim’s little sister?”

Nanna smiled. “Oh, yes! How is she, by the way? You know, she used to come in here with Porrim all the time, but I haven’t seen her recently.”

“I dunno, I think she’s just been hanging out with her friends. Karkat and she are friends, and I think maybe Aranea’s sister?” Cronus struggled to remember her name for a minute. He only half listened any time Aranea was talking anyway. “Vicky?”

“_Vriska_.” Nanna tutted. “Cronus, you must remember her. Tall for her age. She’s in here all the time.”

“Oh, that’s her, isn’t it. Don’t like the kid, personally. She’s too loud.”

“She’s more than loud, dear, but do be nice if she comes in. She’s the same age as your brother, after all.”

Cronus made a non-committal noise. Nanna raised an eyebrow at him, and the sighed.

“So, you’re in a bit of a pickle, in other words. Taking care of a younger sibling by yourself, dear, it can be a lot of responsibility.”

“So I’m told.” Cronus took his plate and stacked it by the sink, ready to wash.

“How’s your father been taking it? I imagine he’s not too pleased that Eridan wants to stay with you.” Nanna kept nibbling her cinnamon roll, keeping an eye out for customers.

“Nah, he hates it. He wanted Eridan to come up for Christmas, but we agreed I’d fetch presents instead. Not lookin’ forward to going back there, I can tell you that.” Cronus sighed. “It’s weird, you know. I see kids around here, with normal parents, and I wonder why the – why me and Eridan ended up with him.”

Nanna paused, and then sighed. “Look for the silver lining, Cronus. You ended up with each other as much as you ended up with your father.”

That much was true. If he’d had to give up his little brother to be born to different parents, he wouldn’t. Or at least, he didn’t think he would.

“Anyway, you’re both here now. I think it would be worth bringing him in tomorrow, don’t you? I’d love to meet him, from what you’ve told me. He sounds like a nice young man.”

“Bless you, Nanna.” Cronus gave her a fierce hug. “You know how many people’s lives you make better, right?”

“I try my hardest, dear.” She squeezed him back gently. “Now, if you could go get some of the book deliveries from the storage room and unpack them for Kankri so he doesn’t have to rush when he gets here, I’d be very grateful.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Cronus winked at her, and strode on through to the little storage room where they kept their deliveries.

The back room, where the staff stored their things, had been set up much like a primary school cloakroom. It had hooks and benches, so you could hang your coat and set down your bag. It was a decent size. The storage room, however, was about the size of a large cupboard, and was generally used to store packages. Cronus hefted one of the bigger looking ones and carried it through to the counter they used for the bookshop part of the store.

It felt weird, being here, given that it was usually Kankri’s domain and Kankri’s only. Even the box cutter underneath the counter had a label on it that said ‘Do Not Touch’, which, yeah, he was clearly going to ignore. He flicked it open carefully and slide it along the tape holding the box shut.

“We got that _Warrior Cats_ book in, Nanna. You want me to set it aside?” he called through to the other half of the store.

“There should be a few copies, dear!” she called back. “Make sure, and don’t set them aside!”

He dug through the box, dividing up what had been sent. It was mostly Young Adult, with a decent chunk of Warrior Cats. Looked like someone had placed an order or something. He clicked the box cutter back and placed it back where Kankri had left it.

“Okay, so we got six of these cat books, a few various fantasy ones, a DVD of _Moonrise Kingdom_, and—”

The door opened, and Kankri hurried in, looking disgruntled and out of place.

“Mr Harley will _not _listen to reason, Mrs Egbert! You have to talk to him, he’s letting that dog inside the church instead of leaving it outside like everyone else and it tried to dive in the font and I had to…” He trailed off, staring at Cronus. “What are you doing behind my work station?”

“Nanna asked me to unpack one of the boxes for you so you didn’t have worry about it when you got in. Don’t worry, I put your box cutter back.”

“Well…I…” Kankri looked between him and the arch that led to the café part. “You weren’t doing your setup?”

“I was eating a cinnamon roll. You know Nanna, she gets this place set up way before the rest of us come in here, but this one’s the big order, with the cat books.”

Kankri looked even more stressed as he came over to join Cronus behind the counter, almost shoulder to shoulder with him. His fluffy hair looked like he might have been running his fingers through it in frustration. From his vantage point of being about a head taller than Kankri, Cronus could see that it was messed up to hell, and he almost wanted to smooth it down. Luckily, Kankri was checking the receipt from inside the box and couldn’t see him looking.

“Yes, Meulin ordered this one in, and then a young girl ordered in this one while notifying me which in between volumes we were missing. I couldn’t believe I’d forgotten to keep them up to date. It’s sloppy to be missing volumes between a series. I forget her name, but she’s apparently started a club at school to discuss the series. It looks like…yes, everything’s in order.” He finally looked up at Cronus. “Would you mind bringing through one of the other boxes? I can unpack them, but lifting them can be challenging, and you did say you weren’t doing anything else.”

“Sure, no problem.” Cronus ducked back into storage, trying not to think to much on the fact that he wanted to smooth his friend’s hair down.

It wasn’t weird. It wasn’t weird. He wasn’t being weird.

It was _so _weird. 


End file.
